Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-07-26

tention Of q man who may be counting his
money. by dropping few paper dollars
on the floor and then calling the attention
of the victim to them with polite You
have dropped some of your money, sir!'
The dupe looks up, sees nlce-looking.
we'll dressed person at his side and stoops
to pick up the notes. when the third fellow
who has been waiting for his chance,
SEXES the money the victim has left on the
counter and glides away. Ii there are
not too many clerks around an attempt
will be m ade to slip into the vault. The
attention of the employees will be en-
gagged in changing notes tor the confeder
ates while one of the s'mob'' sneaks in
side the vault and grabs what he finds in
cash living within easy reach. Little
Horace Hoven, Billy Burk who was
caught in the safe of the Baltimore Saw
iugs Band in 1880; George Carson, who
worked the Metropolitan Bank ip Wash
ington five months ago; Joe McCloskey,
now in the Maryland pententiary under
the name of Andrew L. Hand, ter grab
pile of greenbacks in the National
Mechanics Bank of Baltimore, and
Charles Fisher, are well-known bank
sneaks.
Beyond these grades it is difficult to rate
the standing of thieves. Possibly the
.pennyweight'' man comes next. He
victimizes the proprietors ofjewelry stores
by pretending to want to buy scarf pin.
watch charm or rings and while looking
over trays slips one of these articles into
his pocket at the time his chum enters and
with loud inquiry gets the eye OF the
man behind the counter for an instant.
There are CONGRATULATIONS who sneak
into store and hide until the persons
who lock up are gone, when they let in
their accomplices and rob the place
"anglers," or thieves who. with hook on
the end of cane, steal from shop win
dOws or counters. Kirkbuzzers pick
pockets in churches. Bulk and file" are
two pickpockets operating together. The
"bulk Jostles the person to be robbed,
and the"file" snatches the watch. Ills
tiers" are shop-lifters, who have large
pockets. into which they throw the stolen
articles. ''Bludgets" are female thieves
who entice countrymen to dance houses
with them. "Amusers" throw snuff or
pepper into the eyes of the pedestrian a
'companion' 'pretends to help the blind
man and robs him. This was successfully
done only short time ago near the Met
ropolitan Hotel. in New York. A MOL.
| buzzer'' is common enough around coun-
thy fairs he picks the pockets of women
only. The old time "Groaners" are not
so numerous now. They were so named
because they we to churches during SER
vice and exchanged bad hats for good
ones. Occasionally they work a barber
shop. In The country it is great game
for ''duffer," chap in sailors clothes.
to 90 from farmhouse to farmhouse sell
| ling goods with mystery and many in,ima-
tons that they are struggled, when in
reality they are not worth one-third the
money asked for them. The "sawdust'
fellows prey upon the cupidity of not too
scrupulous people. They advertise
schemes which it is announced will lead
to the fortune of any one who answers the
advertisement. A reply is sent and cor
respondence is struck up. After few
cautiously worded epistles the ''saw dust"
man states that he is in the 'green goods
business in other words, has counterfeit
money he would sell at low price on
every 800 worth. A meeting is arranged
in a city and the dupe goes there. He is
met by the town sharper. conducted to the
place where the game is practiced, and
shown satchel fl led with money. The
temptation overpowers him; he buys and
is handed satchel which in the mean
while has been defily substituted for the
one he first saw. and viii, h on examina-
ton contains only trash. One OF the fore
most 'saw. DUST men, the. Davis was
shot dead in New York lat summer in
trying this game by Texan who had
come on to meet him.
"Confderce men" are persuasive fellows
who wheedle money from their victims in
all sorts of ways. The most brazen of
this sort are the "bunco steerers."
One OF the gang will accost a stranger
in a most pleasant manner, offer his hand
and exclaim. why, how do you do, Mr..
Brown You don't know me, eh P" "No,
sir, am not acquainted with you," is the
natural answer of the rural person. Be
sides, my name is not Brown it is Smith. ;"
Oh, beg your pardon. | thought you
were from Squeedeek. placidlv says the
pigeon" No, l am from Poketown,
innocently continues the prospective dupe.
The city chap. after few pleasant words,
bows himself away and gives to an accom-
plce. who has been waiting for him, the
information received from the countryman.
Then the "steerer' gets in his work. He
accosis the stranger by his right name,
mentions the latter's town. worms himself
into his confidence and finally enices him
into some swindling game by which the
stranger is relieved of his ready cash,
"Weeders" steal pocketbooks from coats
in billiard-rooms, sleeping apartments or
any other place they can get chance.
The game is to take only portion of The
money secured and return the remainder
to divert suspicion. '.Fiimflam" fellows
are persons who 90 into stores, make q
small purchase. offer a comparatively big
bill of money, and after receiving the
change suddenly ask for return of the
original note, and prefer smaller one in
payment for their purchase, receive the
change and are gone before the shopkeep
er real zes that he has been swindled out
of the sum ne first gave to
the man after deductlng the
price of his purchase A panel thief is
one who fits up room ST that an entrance
may be gained to it bv hidden door Sc
| GREETED behind wardrobe and robs men
deceived there by women confederates.
A "till-tapper" robs money drawers
"garroters" are fellows who rob by chok-
ing their victims dog-nippers steal dogs
and return them to their owners after q
reward has been offered; 'hall thieves
c,aal hats anats pp,hral1ac atc m